Supplemental Disaster Programs Authorized

Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) – This program is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the authority of Title XX of the Social Security Act. It is designed to allow states to utilize population-based fund allotments to address a broad range of social service needs for low and moderate income individuals with an emphasis on children, the elderly, and the disabled. The grant guidance emphasizes initiatives that reduce dependency and encourage self-sufficiency amongst vulnerable individuals (Lynch 2012). FY 2012

obligations for the SSBG were $1.7 billion (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 2014m). More than 23 million individuals in the U.S. receive supportive social services through this program on an annual basis and approximately 27 percent of funding is directed to vulnerable and elderly adults (Dutta-Gupta, Pavetti, and Finch 2012). The dissertation case study state of Illinois received $111,707,650 in SSBG funding in FY 2009, the year after the 2008 presidential disaster declared and denied flood events. This funding was utilized to provide social services to 1,418,988 individuals in Illinois and 52.6 percent of the recipients were vulnerable or elderly adults (Dutta-Gupta, Pavetti, and Finch 2012).

Although this program provides benefits ranging from counseling services to adult day care for any low or moderate income individual who meets program eligibility criteria, the

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Department of Health and Human Services has established specific guidelines for disaster- related supplemental SSBG funding. In 2009, HHS awarded $600 million in supplemental SSBG funding to 20 disaster affected states that were granted Major presidential disaster declarations for Individual Assistance between January and September of 2008. Illinois received $30,502,439 for eligible Stafford Act Individual Assistance presidential disaster declarations under this supplemental appropriation (Lynch 2012). In March 2009, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn

proclaimed, “With this funding, thousands of Illinoisans will get needed help to recover from the devastating storms and flooding of last year” (Illinois Government News Network 2009). Funds were designated to address the needs of flood affected individuals in all disaster declared

counties in the dissertation case study area and included mental health and family counseling, youth services, employment services, and temporary housing. Funds were also designated for individual needs including clothing, furniture, food, medication, household items as well as home repairs and renovations. Unfortunately, residents of the 15 rural counties in Southern Illinois that were denied a presidential disaster declaration were not eligible for this funding. This disparity was not forgotten by emergency management operatives in the region who questioned “why the folks we represent aren’t entitled to any of the social service money from the feds” (personal communication, anonymous Illinois emergency manager 2011).

Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) –These formula grants may be

distributed to presidential disaster declared counties to assist in long term recovery by expanding economic activity and rehabilitating residential and commercial buildings. At least 70 percent of grant funding must be utilized for activities that benefit low and moderate income individuals. Rural (non-metropolitan) counties are entitled to access CDBG State Program funds for disaster related needs in areas that have received an emergency or major presidential disaster declaration

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(Housing Assistance Council 2006). It is important to note that the CDBG grant program is not, solely, activated by a disaster declaration and this program provides funding to states for eligible needs on an annual basis. In FY 2012, $ 400,000,000 in CDBG disaster recovery specific

funding was approved by Congress as a portion of the $3,615,000,000 authorized for the entire CDBG program (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 2012; Catalog of Federal Assistance 2014b;Catalog of Federal Assistance 2014c).This program is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009 (Pub. Law 110-329) appropriated $6.5 billion through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program for “necessary expenses related to disaster relief, long-term recovery, and restoration of infrastructure, housing, and economic revitalization in areas affected by hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters occurring during 2008 for which the President declared a major disaster” (Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity 2009). Presidential disaster declared (PDD) counties in the 2008 Illinois case study area (DR-1747, DR- 1771) were the beneficiaries of CDBG grants, administered by the Illinois Department of

Commerce and Economic Opportunity (See Table 6). Note: This legislation also included funding obligations for an October, 2008 PDD, issued to primarily urban counties in Illinois (DR-1800). PDD DR-1800 is not included in the dissertation case study analysis of rural Illinois declarations and denials due to the urban designation of the affected counties. Presidential disaster denied counties in the 2008 Illinois case study area were not eligible for this supplemental CDBG grant allocation.

However, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) utilizes a portion of its CDBG allocation to fund the Community Development Assistance

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Program (CDAP). The CDAP “assists Illinois communities by providing grants to local governments to help them in financing economic development projects, public facilities and housing rehabilitation” (Business Information Center 2010). In 2008, Illinois Governor Blagojevich awarded nearly $1 million in grants to make necessary improvements to alleviate the potential of future flooding in residential areas of PDD denied Alexander and Union counties. Governor Blagojevich stated, “These grants … will help alleviate future flooding problems in Southern Illinois” (Illinois Government News Network 2008a). In 2013, the CDAP allocated $6.6 Million to Southern Illinois counties for public and residential infrastructure improvements including water, sewer and home rehabilitation projects. This included a $450,000 grant for West Frankfort to construct a new sewage treatment plant that was damaged after the PDD denied 2008 flood (Fasol 2008a; Illinois Government News Network 2013).

Table 6: Illinois 2008 supplemental CDBG distribution for eligible PDD counties

State Program Funding ($) Purpose

Small Business Stimulus 6,500,000 Max $50,000 forgivable loan for business that commit to reopen within 12 months

Large Business Stimulus 8,500,000

Improvements to public infrastructure in support of a business that would create/ retain jobs in the community. Machinery, equipment

Business Assistance 5,000,000 Covers SBA loan interest, rental payments, lost rental income

Commercial Property Buyouts 13,838,249 Buyout programs in flood-prone areas

Affordable Rental Housing 18,950,911 Supports repairs and reconstruction of the affordable rental housing stock Note: $5,000,000 dedicated to rural housing Housing Activities Other than

Affordable Rental Housing 21,338,250

Mortgage and down payment assistance buyouts, repair and reconstruction

Homeownership (Community

Stabilization) Program 20,000,000

Community solutions to address severe hardship to communities, including foreclosure impacts and declines in economic conditions.

Short and Long Term Public

Infrastructure Recovery 47,993,238

Support projects that FEMA cannot fund but are critical to recovery. i.e. water, sewer, drainage, levee systems

Planning Activities 16,919,125

Comprehensive regional planning to guide long term recovery and redevelopment.

Technical Assistance/Capacity

Building 1,691,913

Project and construction management services Case management assistance to individuals

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Community Disaster Loan Program – This program is administered by the U.S.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and is activated by a presidential major or emergency disaster declaration. The loans are designated for jurisdictions that can establish a substantive disaster related loss of tax revenue and a need for financial assistance to perform normal government functions (FEMA 2005). Federal allocations for this program in FY 12 were $5,014,387.

Disaster Assistance for Older Americans – This program is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for the reimbursement of additional expenses associated with shelter, in-home assistance, outreach, counseling, and supportive services for the elderly in presidential disaster declared counties. These funds are distributed to State Units on Aging for determination of local need. The program is a component of the services legislated in the Older Americans Act of 1965 which was designed to “maximize the informal support provided to older Americans to enable them to remain in their homes and communities by providing transportation services, in-home services, and other support services” (Catalog of Federal Assistance 2014d). The benefits of this legislation are available to support independent living for individuals age 60 and over with an emphasis on those with the greatest economic needs, the greatest social needs, and those residing in rural areas. It is important to recognize that the vast resources that are provided under the provisions of the Older Americans Act are not, solely, dependent on a presidential disaster declaration. Approximately 20 percent of all individuals age 60 and over access some component of funding from the OAA ranging from vulnerable elder rights protection services, to family-caregiver support and nutritional

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for the OAA in FY 2012 were $364,663,840. Since 1983, the Shawnee Alliance for Older Adults has provided a variety of services, partially subsidized by the Older American’s Act, for the benefit of the low-income elderly in the dissertation case study area of Southern Illinois. As of 2011, this agency had 2,700 community-dwelling individuals over the age of 60 under “active care”. These individuals received regular visitation services, including mental health

assessments, thereby supporting the ability for the recipients to retain independent status in their own homes (Becky Pedroza, Shawnee Alliance for Older Adults, personal on-site

communication, September 15, 2011).

Cora C. Brown Fund – This program is FEMA/DHS administered and supports unmet disaster needs for individuals in presidential disaster declared areas based on the

recommendation of volunteer agencies. The FY 2012 allotment for this small grant initiative totaled $7,088.

Economic Adjustment Assistance Program – Administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce/Economic Development Administration, this initiative provides grants to assist communities in presidential disaster declared areas by “accelerating economic recovery and implementing strategic actions to reduce the risk of economic damage and loss in commercial and industrial areas from future disasters” (FEMA 2005). This program is also available, independent of a presidential disaster declaration, “to address the needs of distressed

communities experiencing adverse economic changes that may occur suddenly or over time, and generally result from industrial or corporate restructuring, new Federal laws or requirements, reduction in defense expenditures, depletion of natural resources, or natural disaster” (FEMA 2005).The average size of an Economic Adjustment grant in the most recent year of available data, FY 2011, was approximately $550,000 (FEMA 2005). In 2012, the Economic

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Development Administration expanded the Economic Adjustment Assistance Program, through the Disaster Relief Opportunity, which provided $200 million in congressionally authorized funds for investments in regions experiencing “severe economic distress as a result of natural disasters that were declared as major Federal disasters between October 1, 2010 and September 30, 2011”(Economic Development Administration 2012). These funds were designated for projects that “foster economic growth and resiliency” by “mitigating the potential for future losses and adverse economic impacts for communities” (Economic Development Administration 2012). The City of Harrisburg, Illinois, which was denied a presidential disaster declaration in 2008 and in 2012, was awarded $1,645,200 in Disaster Relief Opportunity funding to “construct improvements to the Harrisburg’s waste water treatment plant, support local industries and protect against future floods. Specifically, it will add to and improve the filtration system and install an additional pump in the storm water pumping station while leveraging an expected $2 million in private investment” (Durbin 2013). Harrisburg was eligible for the grant award as it had received a major presidential disaster declaration for Individual and Public Assistance (DR- 1991) as a result of April, 2011 storms and flooding.

Workforce Investment Act. Title I, National Emergency Grants- This program is

administered by the Department of Labor and finances the creation of temporary jobs for disaster dislocated workers in presidential disaster declared areas. The Workforce Investment Act also provides temporary work grant funding for plant closures and mass layoffs affecting 50 or more workers and assistance to trade impacted workers and other individuals eligible under the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Reform Act (FEMA 2005) The U.S. Congress authorized

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Emergency Loans for Farming Operations- This program is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) to assist farmers in a county that is disaster declared by the President or designated by the Secretary of Agriculture as a primary disaster area. Loans, up to a $500,000 maximum, may be utilized for the repair or restoration of essential property, the payment of disaster-related production costs, essential family living expenses, and non-real estate debt refinancing (United States Department of Agriculture Farm Services Agency 2012). This funding is administered independent of the Small Business Administration disaster loan program. USDA disaster declarations are not under presidential authority and are independently issued by the Secretary of Agriculture. All presidential disaster declared and denied counties in the 2008 Illinois case study area were eligible for Emergency Loans for Farming Operations as they were each declared by the Secretary of Agriculture as USDA disaster assistance eligible counties (Illinois Government News Network 2008). The program provided a direct loan total of $31,436,000 to eligible applicants in FY 2012 (Catalog of Federal Assistance 2014e).

HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) – This program is administered by the

Department of Housing and Urban Development and may be activated by a presidential major or emergency disaster declaration to provide permanent housing for low-income homeowners in urban counties. The HOME program is the “largest Federal block grant to state and local governments designed exclusively to create affordable housing for low-income households” (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 2014). The Illinois Housing Development Authority (2014) indicates that HOME funds are targeted towards the housing needs of seniors, people with disabilities, and people facing homelessness. Towns, smaller cities, and rural counties are eligible for HOME dollars, but they must obtain these funds through state

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coordination as block grants are not authorized for smaller jurisdictions (Housing Assistance Council 2012). The participating jurisdiction may seek a waiver of required cost share requirements for HOME grants in areas that have received a presidential disaster declaration (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 2014). FY 2012 federal formula grant obligations for this program were $1,207,802,000 (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 2014f). The HOME program is not, solely, activated by a presidential disaster declaration. In fact, several counties in Southern Illinois received forgivable non-payment loans thru the HOME program after the 2012 turndown of a request for a presidential disaster declaration associated with a tornado event (Fitzgerald 2012).

USDA Rural Development Disaster Assistance - The Rural Development Disaster Assistance program distributes grants and loans to qualified applicants in rural communities to provide “housing and shelter, public safety, health care and community facilities and business recovery assistance” (USDA 2011). Areas that have received a presidential disaster declaration, as authorized under the provisions of the Stafford Act, receive expedited loan approval

processing.Low income participants in the USDA Single Family Housing Loan Borrowers program are eligible for a 180 day moratorium on loan payments and/or loan reamortization due to economic hardship in presidential disaster declared areas. Disaster displaced USDA Rental Assistance tenants in Rural Development-financed apartment complexes receive transfer of their rental subsidy and priority consideration for placement in available units if a presidential disaster declaration has been issued (USDA 2011a). The USDA Very Low-Income Housing Repair Loans and Grants program for low income elders (> 62 y.o.) and the USDA Rural Business Opportunity Grant (RBOG) program are representative of additional opportunities for rural communities and individuals to access federal funding with periodization for applicants in

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presidential disaster declared areas. It is important to note that eligibility for the Very Low- Income Housing Repair Loans and Grants program is contingent on income, age, and type of structure. For example, manufactured homes must be attached to a permanent slab. This limits the availability of funding for some individuals in rural areas. The RBOG program is designed to assist in the creation of rural businesses and provide support for rural community economic development planning ( FY 2012 federal funding obligations for the USDA Very Low-Income Housing Repair Loans and Grants program were $9,998,400 (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 2014k). FY 2012 funding obligations for the Rural Business Opportunity Grant program were $2,500,000 (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 2014l).

Mental Health Disaster Assistance and Emergency Mental Health– This program is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)/Public Health Service (PHS), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Project grant funding is distributed to areas that have received Stafford Act presidential disaster declarations through state agencies to provide supplemental emergency mental health services that have not been addressed by the Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program. This program also provides necessary training for disaster mental health counselors. FY 2012 federal discretionary project grant obligations totaled$15,946,849 (Catalog of Federal Disaster

Assistance 2014g). Illinois did not receive any funding through this program in FY 2008 and $49,500 was distributed in FY 2009 (Hazelwood and Bazan 2010).

Food and Nutrition Service – Administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), this program “provides food for shelters and other mass feeding sites, distributes food packages directly to households in need in limited situations, and issue Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) benefits” (United States Department of Agriculture

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2014). Organizations including the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army access this program for necessary food resources in compliance with the recommendations of the National Response Framework (Department of Homeland Security 2008).Areas that have received Individual Assistance presidential disaster declarations are eligible for state coordinated D- SNAP benefits. Individuals who may not normally be eligible for the USDA Supplemental Nutritional Assistance program are considered for one month of D-SNAP food assistance benefits if disaster-related loss of income, property damages, or relocation expenses has created a documented need.